I use the same weapons for kata as I do in practice. We don't do competitions in our MA club system.

Normally I use a fairly thick solid rattan 6ft bo because it is easier on my wrists and body than the oak ones which tend to give nice bruises if you really snap the weapon about like I do!

I don't have any screw together type bo nor would I ever buy one, I prefer a solid weapon.

If I'm sparring with the guys who have the lumpy hardwood ones then I tend to use the oak one mainly because the lumps on the lancewood tend to bruise the rattan and I'd like to have it for a couple of years more before I think about replacing it!

I think it really depends on the purpose of your training. If you were training for actual application, not that you might ever use such a weapon in a fight, it would be smart to use something as close to the actual weapon as possible. This mostly pertains to bladed weapons and not so much blunt wooden weapons. You practice how you fight, or should anyway.

When it comes to competition it really depends on the type of competition and the weapon being used. I don't compete but most i've seen will tend to use a heavier weapon when preparing for the competition then move to a lighter "flashier" version for the actual competition. I can't think of any competitions that will allow you to use a live blade unless your doing tameshigiri. Most competition weapons aren't suitable for regular use or contact sparring. But again it really depends on the weapon. A collapsible bo may look good and be convenient to carry but regular use will cause it to start coming apart during practice after a while.

When it comes to size and balance of the weapon i think you should always use a weapon of equal length/width/circumference for training as you would for actual use or competition. The weight can vary but the balance and size should be consistent.

Unfortunately today unless you’re in a very traditional competition what is being done is no longer practical. They're more concerned with flash and "tricks" than usefulness.

Just wanted to add that I always use my heavy speedchucks for practice and kata.

I've been playing about with some double chucks kata lately and for that I have been using foam ones [small shudder] but will switch to the heavy proper ones once I've mastered the spins I'm doing. No point in bashing myself about unnecessarily, I get enough of that in class anyway! [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif[/IMG] Last week I got to spar with one of our top guys who was ranked #4 heavyweight in the world Kyukoshin champs last year. Needless to say we all took a bit of a pounding, he can kick and punch like a horse!

Similarly I train and spar with the same arnis sticks and bokken.

I don't do "flashy". Our system is more traditional and we like it that way. Then hopefully we fight as we train [if we ever need to] [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]

I just can't feel comfortable about a 2 piece screw together bo, or one made of something like aluminium. For me the bo is one of my favourite weapons and I like the way it feels in one dynamic piece. None of my bo are like the toothpick variety either, I like them the same dia for the full length.

Bo were always made of wood, I wonder if carbon fibre/kevlar might react like a "super wood"? If so I might be interested in a one piece bo made of that combo.

It depends what you like. Most of the tournaments that I have sat and judged were TDK & Tang Soo styles up to about ten years ago. The weapons were usually the ones you train with everyday, why switch just for a tournament. Now there are the folks who like to stand out a little and use the flashy chrome nunchucks and the high gloss metal flake Bo's to enhance the "flash". Yeah sometimes it looks cool but I'm not giving any higher points for your flash. A judge looks for self confidence, your general appearence and manners, snap, general kata knowledge, kata delivery and ending. Practice, practice and more practice.

I use the same bamboo staff for both practice and competition, although I have trained with a heavier staff on occasion, just to get my wrists and arms toned up a bit better.

I also train and compete with the same Horse Knife (Ma Do). When I was first learning it, Sifu changed out the steel blade for a lighter aluminum one that he made, but it proved to be too light and wobbly for what we did, so he changed it back. Neither edge of the blade is sharpened, of course. The whole thing weighs about 5 pounds, and learning to swing that weight has made my Staff Form faster, since the staff is so much lighter.

Schanne: I appreciate your views about not giving a competitor extra points for "flash." The fact that someone has the latest high tech gear has nothing to do with how good a martial artist they are.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sunspots:I use the same bamboo staff for both practice and competition, although I have trained with a heavier staff on occasion, just to get my wrists and arms toned up a bit better.

I also train and compete with the same Horse Knife (Ma Do). When I was first learning it, Sifu changed out the steel blade for a lighter aluminum one that he made, but it proved to be too light and wobbly for what we did, so he changed it back. Neither edge of the blade is sharpened, of course. The whole thing weighs about 5 pounds, and learning to swing that weight has made my Staff Form faster, since the staff is so much lighter.

Schanne: I appreciate your views about not giving a competitor extra points for "flash." The fact that someone has the latest high tech gear has nothing to do with how good a martial artist they are. [/QUOTE]

Yeah but if your a hot chick I'll usually bump up the points. [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif[/IMG]